How to Register Hand Sanitizer Products in Dubai Amid COVID-19?
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought major changes in all aspects of life across the world including in Dubai. The outbreak of the virus has resulted in greater significance for personal hygiene and the demand for products such as hand sanitizers are rising. Personal hygiene products are predicted to be among those new sunrise sectors that are likely to enjoy strong growth in the long run as a new normal will come into effect in the post-COVID-19 period. Since disinfecting the hands with sanitizers is recommended to be the best way to control the spread of the virus infection, the manufacture, import and sale of hand sanitizers is likely to grow in Dubai. Businesses that wish to invest in the production, import or sale of hand sanitizers are required to register the product with the Dubai Municipality as per the regulations.
Why is it Mandatory to Register Hand Sanitizers with Dubai Municipality?
All the local manufacturers and importers are required to register the hand sanitizers with the Dubai Municipality to comply with the safety standards. The hand sanitizers come under the cosmetic products category as per the product registration standards. The product registration is made mandatory to ensure that the sanitizer doesn’t harm the health and safety of the consumers.
The registration process with the Dubai Municipality helps the consumers identify the ingredients as well as the source of origin of the product. If the consumer suffers from any side effect of the product, he or she can check for any harmful ingredients and identify the country of origin of the product to file a case against the manufacturer at the customer protection department. Products that are not registered with the Dubai Municipality will be considered counterfeit products.
The product registration certificate is a significant document that will be necessary for Customs clearance during the shipment of the sanitizer. If the sanitizer is not registered with the Dubai Municipality, then it will face rejection during the shipment. The registration has been made mandatory to ensure that the consumer gets all the relevant information about the product from its label.
When the demand for hand sanitizers peaked due to the Coronavirus spread, Dubai had witnessed an increase in the sale of sanitizers that were not registered with the Municipality. Such fake products were seized immediately by the authorities.
Process of Cosmetics Products Registration with the Dubai Municipality
A valid trade license with an activity related to the manufacturing or import of cosmetic products is required to register the hand sanitizer with the Dubai Municipality. For this, either a company can be set up to obtain a trading license. Another common way is to register the product with a licensed trading company. Under this company, the investors can still have control over their sanitizer brand by appointing importers or distributors. After ensuring this, the following steps need to be followed:
1. Apply for Registration with Dubai Municipality
After ensuring a valid license, the cosmetic/ sanitizer companies should approach the Dubai Municipality to begin the process of hand sanitizer registration. An application should be submitted to the Dubai Municipality along with the prescribed government fee for product registration.
2. Submission of Required Documents
A representative of the company can be entrusted with performing the registration process with the Municipality. The representative needs to submit a copy of a valid label assessment of the hand sanitizer along with other necessary documents. The application and the submission of the documents can be performed online with the Dubai Municipality. The product registration service of a full-service intellectual property firm in Dubai can be availed to make the process quicker.
3. Review and Approval of Registration
After the submission of the application, the Dubai Municipality will verify the documents. If the documents and the details of the cosmetic products are complying with its standard, the sanitizer will be registered with the Municipality. A certificate in electronic form will be registered to confirm the product registration. The registration for all the products will be valid for 5 years.
4. Possible Grounds for Rejection
The product registration would get approval if the company is complying with the safety standards set by the Dubai Municipality. However, the application can be rejected for the following reasons:
- Presence of prohibited ingredients
- Incomprehensible label information
- Not declaring the ingredients
- Ingredients are written in languages other than Arabic, English
Product Registration Services in Dubai & Across the UAE
The COVID-19 pandemic has opened up new business opportunities in Dubai. The personal hygiene sector is among one of the sunrise sectors to emerge from this unprecedented crisis situation. The demand for hygiene products like sanitizers has spiked during the pandemic. However, to benefit from this new business opportunity, the investors need to ensure that their product is complying with the standards set by the authority. Manufacturing, importing or selling sanitizers without registering with the Dubai Municipality will have an adverse effect as the product will be rejected during shipment or will be withdrawn from the market. To register the hand sanitizers with the Dubai Municipality, the manufacturers or importers need to be well-versed in all the procedures and here is the assistance of a full-service intellectual property (IP) firm like Jitendra Intellectual Property (JIP) comes handy. Apart from registering IP assets, JIP helps the companies in registering their products with the Dubai Municipality.
JIP’s highly qualified trademark agents will help the businesses ensure that their products are registered with the Dubai Municipality with all the supporting documents. The trademark agents will guide the sanitizer companies in all the processes right from the application to obtaining the registration certificate. JIP’s trademark agents will help the businesses review their product labels to ensure that they comply with the standards set by the Dubai Municipality. JIP recommends the sanitizer companies to register their products with the Dubai Municipality to ensure better brand protection and secure the trust of consumers.